Police director Freddy Ramirez shared his thoughts on the wild attack caught on camera that left one of his officers bloodied.
Dramatic police body camera footage shows the moment a Miami-Dade officer was attacked and left bloodied by a suspect at a gas station.
The footage released Wednesday shows the June 25 encounter between Officer Alexander Gattorno and George Theo Knowles III at the RaceTrac at 11201 Southwest 216th Street.
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Gattorno had responded to the business for reports of a man who was refusing to leave the gas station and encountered Knowles.
The body cam footage shows Gattorno asking Knowles to stay seated multiple times before the situation quickly escalated.
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"You're staying right there," Gattorno says in the video. "I said get on the ground, get on the ground."
That's when the video shows Knowles lunging at Gattorno, who used his Taser but had no effect on Knowles.
A police report said Knowles repeatedly punched Gattorno in the face and head as the two struggled and eventually fell to the ground.
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In the video, blood is seen dripping from Gattorno's nose from an injury caused by the attack.
Despite the violent attack, Gattorno was able to keep his composure.
"I'm QRU [OK] just a bit busted up," he says over his radio after Knowles was in custody.
Gattorno was "profusely bleeding" and had to be taken to a local hospital, where it was discovered he had a broken nose and a deep cut in the back of his head that required staples, the arrest report said.
While in custody, Knowles told another officer "Ain't nothing wrong with me. I split him in his s---. I hope he dies," the report said.
At a news conference Wednesday, Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez praised Gattorno's actions.
"These young officers out there, I mean they are so resilient, so calm, cool, collected, professional," Ramirez said. "If you heard him on the radio after he took the subject into custody, you would never know this violent encounter happened."
Knowles 32, is facing attempted murder, aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, and trespassing charges.
"[I'm] angry, angry. That's one of my boys. But at the same time proud. I hate to see him bleed, I hate to seem him hurt, but I like to see him win. and I like to see the bad guy go to jail," Ramirez said.
